Twenty-Five Twenty-One – Full Review
Welcome to Twenty-Five Twenty-One – Full Review. In 1998, two young people meet and help each other to pursue their dreams for the future. If you haven’t watched this drama yet, I recommend checking out my unspoiled review here.
Twenty-Five Twenty-One
♥ Aired: February 12 – April 3, 2022
♥# of Episodes: 16
♥Where to Watch: Netflix
♥Genre: Romantic Drama
♥Starring: Kim Tae Ri and Nam Joo Hyuk
The Story
In 1998, Korea is suffering financial devastation due to the IMF Crisis. In the midst of that struggle, two young people have their lives radically changed and their dreams for the future threatened. But in a world of uncertainty, they form a friendship that will support and carry them through the next three difficult years, as they grow into adulthood. Na Hee Do dreams of becoming a nationally recognized fencer, despite her school having to cut their team for lack of funding. Baek Yi Jin has to drop out of college, but he hopes to find a job and earn enough money to bring his family back together. Both of them will have to have patience and strength if they expect to achieve their dreams. But thanks to their deep connection, at least neither will have to do it on their own.
The Leads
Kim Tae Ri as Na Hee Do
Na Hee Do was a child prodigy in fencing, but her progress has plateaued recently. When her school disbands the fencing team due to lack of funding, she decides to transfer to a new school with a national level fencing coach and an Olympic medalist teammate. At the same time, she meets an older guy who lives in her neighborhood and does odd jobs. The two strike up an unlikely friendship that gives her encouragement and stability at a time when her life feels full of uncertainty. And as she fights to achieve her dream of becoming a world-class fencer, she finds herself surrounded by a close-knit group of loving friends.
Ne Hee Do is quirky and optimistic. After the death of her father, she was left alone with a mother who buried her grief in her job. Her relationship with Baek Yi Jin gives her someone she can count on to love and support her. Kim Tae Ri is so great in this role. Her enthusiasm is infectious and her ability to convey deep emotion gives the character depth. The role was real and relateable and I celebrated every victory alongside her.
Nam Joo Hyuk as Baek Yi Jin
Baek Yi Jin is a carefree college student from a loving, wealthy family until his father’s company goes bankrupt and is forced to go into hiding from aggressive debt collectors. Now Yi Jin has had to drop out of university and is hoping to find a job to raise enough money to bring his family back together. But full-time employment isn’t easy to find without a degree. In the meantime, Yi Jin works several part-time jobs trying to save as much money as he can. When he meets a young high school student, he finds himself becoming invested in her life and dreams. And a new job as a sports journalist gives him a front row seat to her rise of success. Their four-year age gap makes their relationship difficult to describe, but their deep love for each other is undeniable.
As a young adult striking out on his own, Baek Yi Jin goes through a lot of personal growth through the course of this drama. He goes from a struggling young person trying to find his way to a confident journalist making his dreams come true. But the life of a journalist is much harsher than he ever imagined, and slowly it begins to take it’s toll on his physical and emotional health. At the same time, his need to protect Hee Do because she is so much younger than him ultimately drives a wedge in their relationship that breaks them apart. I appreciated Nam Joo Hyuk’s character development, as we all went along with him on his painful journey into adulthood. This role gave him a chance to show some growth and maturity in his acting skill, and I loved him in this part.
Supporting Characters
Bona as Go Yo Rim
Go Yo Rim is a fencing Olympic medalist who is Hee Do’s rival. When the pair end up on the same team, Yo Rim is mean to Hee Do because she remembers a time when Hee Do beat her in the past. But over time, the two are able to put their differences aside, and become best friends. Even though they still have to compete against each other at times, they never let the competition destroy their friendship.
Choi Hyun Wook as Moon Ji Woong
Moon Ji Woong is a cool kid who loves fashion and music. His mother and Seung Wan’s mother have been long-time friends, so the children grew up together. Ji Woong has lots of girls who chase after him, but he has never been interested in anyone except Yu Rim. Eventually, he is able to win her heart and the two of them become a class couple.
Lee Joo Myung as Ji Seung Wan
Ji Seung Wan is the best student in their school. She is best friends with Ji Woong. At night she hosts a radio show where she gives advice to listeners who write in to her program. Her strong sense of justice becomes a stumbling block for her when she rushes to challenge a teacher who is abusing students; Ji Woong included. She ends up dropping out of school and getting her GED instead.
Things I Liked
♥ Bringing the Past to Life
Most of this drama took place between 1998 and 2001, and I loved how they managed to really reflect the mood and look of the time. From phones to cars to clothing, everything painted a perfect picture of the time. It gave the series a unique feel and highlighted a significant period in the history of the country, with the IMF Financial Crisis.
♥ Fencing
The fencing theme also gave this series a unique flavor. It’s not a sport I know much about, but I really enjoyed watching the matches and learning a bit about the rules and strategies. I also felt like fencing was the perfect sport to represent the fiercely independant and free-thinking Hee Do.
♥ Friendships
There are so many great friendships in this drama, I couldn’t even narrow it down to one favorite. Hee Do and Yu Rim’s slow journey to becoming best friends was heartfelt and touching. I loved Ji Woong and Seung Wan together. Their friendship represented that kind of life-long bond that feels more like siblings. And Hee Do and Yi Jin’s connection, from the very beginning was so deep and effortless. Even before it evolved into something more romantic. Each of these relationships gave a new dimension to the series and gave it the character development that is largely responsible for its popularity.
Things I Didn’t Like
Present Storyline
While I liked the idea of Hee Do’s daughter going back and reading her mom’s diary, and she is the biggest clue early on that Kim Min Chae’s last name is not Baek and therefore probably not Yi Jin’s, I didn’t feel like there was enough story development in the present to make it worth the time. We don’t get any idea about what Hee Do is doing with her life, besides some carpentry. We never find out if Min Chae goes back to ballet or if her relationship with her mom changes for the better after she reads the diary. We do see that Hee Do’s relationship with her mom has improved, but we get a taste of that after they visit Hee Do’s dad’s grave. I just felt like if they were going to include it, it needed to have more of a purpose.
Break Up
I understand why they decided not to leave Hee Do and Yi Jin together in the end. Although I have to admit, I would have liked a happily ever after for this adorable couple. But I didn’t feel like the way they broke up was in character for either of them. Hee Do is much too tenacious to just give up on Yi Jin, especially when he was clearly going through a difficult time. She waited for him the whole time he was living with his mom, when their relationship wasn’t even defined yet. But once they are dating, she can’t give him time to deal with his depression and PTSD? And the Yi Jin we know would never have let Hee Do just walk away, hurt and alone.
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Hee Do’s Husband
Another frustration with the present day storyline was the total absence of information about Hee Do’s husband. Who is he, is he still in her life, and did she love him as much as she loved Yi Jin? These seem to be the most important questions for the present, and yet they aren’t addressed at all.
The Ending
Fans have plenty to say about the ending of “Twenty-One Twenty-Five” and most of it is not positive. Let’s start with all those who did get a happily ever after. Go Yu Rim retires from professional fencing so she can come back home and open her own private training school. She and Moon Ji Woong are happier than ever, and Ji Woong finally gives her the beautiful proposal she has been waiting for. I loved this couple and I was so happy they stood the test of time and distance. Even Ji Seung Wan gets her happy ending. She passes her college entrance exam and becomes president of her class. She and Yi Jin meet and when his younger brother shows up as his driver, Yi Hyun tells Seung Wan he has been waiting for her long enough and she seems to agree. So what about our leads? Although they manage to have a last minute goodbye to end things on a positive note, end things they did. In the present, Yi Jin is still working as a successful journalist. Unfortunately he is also still smoking, despite all of Hee Do’s best efforts. We don’t know much about what Hee Do is doing now other than raising her daughter. Apparently with no husband in the picture anymore. She finally gets her diary back and finds the note Yi Jin left her with his final words to her, which bring her final bit of closure. And in a short epilogue, we find out that while Yi Jin may have dated other girls before Hee Do, Hee Do was still his first true love and just the thought of her can still bring a smile to his face. And that is the end of the journey, or so it seems. Although I think some die-hard fans may still be holding out hope that fate will bring them together again.
Should I Watch
“Twenty-Five Twenty-One” is a coming of age story about friendship, first love, and the dreams of youth. This nostalgic drama is a sweet, feel-good story spanning three years. But there is also a bittersweet message that as youth passes, life doesn’t always turn out the way we hope. The cast has amazing chemistry and Kim Tae Ri’s Baeksang Arts Award for Best Actress was well-deserved. If you are looking for an emotional romantic drama with a strong focus on friendship, this drama is a must-see. I give “Twenty-Five Twenty-One” a 9 out of 10 ramen.
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